European Commission to launch new water pollution legislation

The European Commission has unveiled draft proposals of new water pollution legislation aimed at the oil and gas exploration industry.

It has suggested that lessons from last year's major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been learnt and the EU is desperate to avoid similar incidents at offshore platforms throughout Europe.

Energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger announced that tougher safety procedures will be introduced across the sector to ensure oil and gas wells are secure.

The European Commission has also called for more thorough emergency responses should pollution occur from rigs in the continent's waters, as this can protect coastal economies.

"We need to prevent accidents like Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico from happening. Securing best industry practices in all our offshore operations is an undisputable must," he commented.

Earlier this month, the World Wildlife Fund highlighted its fears of an environmental disaster off the coast of Scotland, after BP unveiled detailed water clean-up plans for its platforms in the North Sea.

Posted by Joseph Hutton